“We’re giving Eddie fluids through an IV drip,” Max Jenkins, the on-call vet, said, walking out into the waiting room. Jackson and Lydia were the only people there. “The vomiting has stopped for now, but his airways are swollen, so we’ve given him some anti-histamine. Do you know if he’s eaten anything unusual in the past twenty-four hours?”
“No.” Jackson shook his head. “He’s had his usual food. He was watched by a friend this afternoon, but she would have told me if she’d given him anything.”
“Maybe best to check anyway,” Max suggested, his grey eyebrows knitting together. “What about last night? Did you take him anywhere he doesn’t usually go?”
“We took him to the beach the way we always do.” Lydia curled her fingers around Jackson’s hand. She wasn’t sure who was more shook up over Eddie’s horrible sickness. While they’d waited for the vet to examine him, Jackson had sat staring at the floor, his elbows on his hard thighs, his hands raked in his hair. “He was in the water and played catch a lot. He seemed happy, you know?”
“Maybe there was something in the water,” Max mused. He’d taken his cap and gloves off, but was still wearing the plastic gown he’d put on as soon as Eddie had arrived. “Though I’d have expected to see more animals come in if there was. Half of Angel Sands walk their dogs on that beach.”
Lydia looked up, her eyes widening. “What about the jellyfish?” she asked Jackson, before turning to Max. “Eddie brought half a jellyfish to us. We made him drop it, but I didn’t think about the other half. Could that have caused a reaction?”
“Damn,” Jackson swore softly. “I hadn’t thought about that. Jellyfish can be poisonous, can’t they?”
“They can certainly cause extreme reactions if they’re eaten,” Max agreed. “Depending on what type. I don’t suppose you got a good look at it?”
“Not really. I was too busy making Eddie drop it.” Jackson looked like he wanted to kick himself. “Will he be okay?”
Lydia held her breath until the vet nodded. “If it’s just half a jellyfish, he should be fine. I’d like to keep him in for a few hours to make sure the anti-histamine is working, and I’ll call you when you can take him home.” He checked his watch. “It’s still early. You should go home and get some sleep. You’ll need to watch Eddie carefully for the next day or so until he’s back on his feet.”
“We can stay,” Lydia offered. “In case he needs us.”
“We’ll take good care of him,” the vet reassured her. “There’s no point in sitting around here. I’ve been told many times that the chairs here are uncomfortable.” He gave them a rueful smile. “And when you come back in, our receptionist will be here. She can take all your insurance details in the morning.”
“I don’t have insurance,” Jackson told him. “I’ll pay by card. Whatever it costs to make him well.”
Lydia squeezed his hand harder.
“You really should think about pet insurance,” the vet told him. “Dogs like Eddie love to eat things they shouldn’t. This time he should be okay, but if he’d needed surgery it could be very costly.”
“He’s not my dog. I’m just taking care of him,” Jackson informed him.
“We found him by the side of the road. Brooke looked over him and promised to keep an eye out for his owners, but they haven’t been found yet,” Lydia added.
“That’s a shame.” Max frowned. “I’ll ask Brooke to do some more digging. You shouldn’t have to pay for his care when you don’t own him.”
“I’m happy to pay,” Jackson insisted. “Eddie got sick on my watch.”
“We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m going to head back and check on Eddie, and see if there’s anything else he needs to get the jellyfish out of his system.”
Jackson shook his hand. “Thank you for seeing us so quickly.”
Max gave a half smile. “You won’t thank me so much when you get your bill. But you’re welcome, anyway. We’ll call you some time after nine and give you an update. And hopefully you can take him home soon after that.”
“You’re shaking,” Lydia murmured, as Jackson steered his car into the driveway. His hands were tightly gripping the wheel, yet she could still see them trembling.
“Yeah.” Jackson let out a sigh. “I really thought it was bad. That we might lose him.”
“I was scared, too,” Lydia whispered. “I’ve never seen a dog throw up that much before.”
“Hopefully we’ll never see it again.” Turning off the ignition, Jackson faced her. “You doing okay?”
She nodded.
“I’m glad you were here with me,” he told her, taking her hand between his. “I wouldn’t have wanted to go through that alone.”
“If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be going through it at all,” Lydia reminded him. He turned her hand over and traced circles in her palms. It made her shiver in the best kind of way. “I’m the one who found Eddie.”
Jackson lifted his gaze. “And I’m glad you did. I don’t like to think about what could have happened if we hadn’t found him. He could have run into the road and gotten hit by a car. Or starved.” He cleared his throat. “Or worse.”
He lifted Lydia’s hand to his mouth and kissed her wrist. She squirmed in her seat. “Maybe you were always meant to find him. You need each other.”
His lips curled against her skin. “Yeah, I think we probably do. Now let’s go inside. I need to show you how much I need you right now.”
Oh! She’d been wondering if it was wrong to feel this sudden need for him when Eddie was still at the vet. But from the way he was kissing her neck, he felt exactly the same. She’d once read that scary circumstances could increase desire. As though people needed the distraction from reality, and the reminder they were still alive.
“Oh yeah?” she said, the corner of her lip curling. “How are you going to show me that?”
Tugging at her hand, he pulled her until she was leaning across the console. There was a neediness in his gaze that sent desire through her body.
“First I’m going to kiss you,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers. “And then I’m going to strip every item of clothing off you, throw you on the bed, and give you exactly what you need.”
“More sleep?” she said, arching an eyebrow.
He grinned. “Yeah, more sleep. Just as soon as I’ve made you scream my name.”
Somebody needed to stop that screeching noise. Jackson blinked open one eyelid and reached out for his phone, his hand patting the bedside table in a futile attempt to find it.
Then he remembered about Eddie, and sat up ramrod straight. Was it the vet calling? He finally located his phone in his jeans pocket, where he’d hastily shoved it before they’d headed to the emergency vet. Pulling it out, he frowned when he saw the dark screen.
Another screech. It was coming from Lydia’s side of the bed. Shaking his head wryly at himself, because it wasn’t Lydia’s side, both of them were his, he reached across her still sleeping body to shut the noise off.
He could feel the heat of her skin against him as he leaned across. “What’s that?” she asked, her eyes still closed.
“It’s okay. Keep sleeping, it’s your phone buzzing.”
Grabbing it, he tried to turn it off, but instead the screen lit up.
‘Your flight is ready for check in' the banner on the screen announced. He stared at it for a moment, then turned down the volume and replaced her phone on the table next to the bed.
Flopping back on the mattress, he could feel a frown pull at his lips. It was stupid, because he knew she was leaving soon. He’d known it from the start. And yet seeing those words had put him in the worst kind of mood.
The kind that left a bad taste in his mouth.
Grabbing his own phone, he checked on the time. It was seven a.m. Usually, he’d have been up for at least an hour. Even on the weekends he rarely slept in late. Not because he liked getting up, but because there was always something to do. But right now all he wanted to do was look at Lydia as she half-slept, her blonde hair spread across the pillow in a crazy mess, her cheek red from where she’d been sleeping on it. And her lips pink and so damn kissable, something he knew from a lot of experience.
Less than a week, and he wouldn’t wake up next to her again.
The thought of it made his stomach feel tight. It was crazy, because they’d only been sleeping with each other for a few days, but it felt like so much longer. Since she’d arrived, he’d fostered a dog, become a godparent, and had the best damn sex he could ever remember, and all of those things had changed him.
But it was Lydia who had changed him the most. Every time he looked at her he felt contradictory emotions. He wanted to bundle her up and protect her, to make sure her sunny nature wasn’t taken advantage of, but like a bird he wanted her to fly free.
He couldn’t imagine her being anything but that wild, intrepid explorer who flew from country to country the same way other people commuted to work. And he couldn’t ask her to change. Not for him.
In another world, maybe he’d go with her. Give up his job and his house and follow the sun the same way she did. But in his heart, he knew he couldn’t do it. He had a business to run. Staff to take care of. And his dad needed him, too.
Not to mention Eddie.
The fact was, Lydia traveled alone and made friends as she went. He was just another friend. Yeah, one with benefits they both enjoyed, but in a few weeks she’d probably have moved on.
He gritted his teeth at the thought of her with somebody else. The thought of it made him want to curl up his fists and hit something.
There was another buzz, this time from his phone. He didn’t recognize the number that flashed across the screen, but he opened the message.
Hi, it’s Brooke. I just got into work and found out that Eddie has been sick. In case you’re worried, I checked on him and he’s sleeping happily. I think he’s dreaming of food, because he keeps chewing the air! Give the office a call when you’re awake and we’ll arrange for you to pick him up!
It was stupid how happy that message made him. He pushed down the dark thoughts that had been swirling around in his brain. He’d wake Lydia up and they’d go pick Eddie up, then spend the day spoiling him so he knew that they cared. And he’d persuade her to spend the night again, so he could wake up and see her beautiful face lying next to his.
That was enough. It had to be, because he wasn’t getting any more than that.